What is the term for a figure of speech that refers to a historical or literary figure, event, or object?

The term that refers to a figure of speech connected to a historical or literary figure, event, or object is "allusion." An allusion serves as a reference, often indirect, to enhance the meaning or emotional impact of a text by connecting it to the cultural or historical context in which the reader can identify. For example, mentioning "the apple" can allude to the story of Adam and Eve, evoking themes of temptation and knowledge without explicitly discussing those themes.

In contrast, alliteration involves the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words, which adds a rhythmic quality to the language but does not carry the same reference as an allusion. An analogy is a comparison between two different things to highlight some form of similarity, and a metaphor is a direct comparison where one thing is described as another, both of which serve different rhetorical purposes than allusion.